Wichita eagle., 1887-02-15

hand or brain of every honorable
profession are Eligible to its ranks. Fra
ternity is its corner stone, and its motto Is
Path, Hope and Protection" The plan
of insurance is simple and as sure as it is
SIMPLE. Every member can know just
how all monies are received and disbursed
and all members can say by their votes
who shall be officers in the different sub
ordinate lodges. The Grand lodges are
composed of members from the subordi
nate lodges and make and change laws for
the governing of all the membership.
The two thousand guaranteed to the
widows and orphans of its deceased mem
bers is provided for in advance of death.
and it is in the hands Of all the lodges to
which the membership belongs and is
always paid within sixty days after death,
at which time another assessment is made
to meet the next death. Not one cent of
these assessments are ever used to pay ex-
penses of any kind and not one cent OF
these assessments have ever been stolen or
misappropriated All expenses OF every
kind are paid out of fund created by the
payment of lodge dues, averaging from
three to five dollars per year per member.
Each Jurisdiction collect and disburse
funds independent of each other. This
jurisdiction (Kansas,) has averaged Tor
several years past eleven dollars per mem
Der per year on an insurance Oh
two thousand dollars, $3.50 per $1,000.
When the order was first founded it was
like all other new orders; it had to stand
the criticism of the theorist, and its growth
at first was slow. So that at the time OF
the first death in the order, which occurred
on August 21st, 1871 Jacob Rudesill,) the
widow of this brother only received four
hundred dollars, being all that could be as
assessed or collected under the laws of the
order, e, one dollar on each member for
each death assessment.
Now this order receives and disburses
the enormous sum of three million dollars
per year.
What a magnificent recordl Fifteen
million dollars paid by this order during
the past eighteen years to meet the wants
and alleviate the sufferings OF those whom
the deceased brothers had left behind All
this has been accomplished in quiet way
without aiding or abetting single strike
or riot In the United States. On Tuesday,
January 18th, 1887, the news was flashed
all over the land that the founder of this
order had just died He died at home, be-
loved by his family and friends by the
thousand, at the age of sixty-s"ven years.
Father Upchurch was christian, quiet
christian, alwas doing good where it was
needed, but in the words of Rev. j. ID.
Vincie, D. D.: "All sincere christians do
not constantly sing camp meeting songs on
the street corn and sit in the amen corner.
BY their fruits We shall know them. >"
The order teaches us to believe in God the
creator of all things and to prepare for
death while we are alive and well, and fol
low the son of the Grand Master of the uni
verse through the valley of death to the
beautiful beyond.
Lodges of this order can be found in
nearly every town and hamlet in the United
States and Canada in which proper persons
can become members.
The Grand Lodge of Kansas will con-
vene in Wichita, Kan, on Tuesday, Feb
ruary %, 1887 The session will be held
in the |. O. O. F. hall.